Burning Black
by She's a Star
Summary: Funny, how it hurt now. Back when it had used to appear, sizzling ebony, he’d only felt a rush of anxious power...He'd never felt the pain. Now he did.' Post GoF, Snape reflects.


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Burning Black

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by She's a Star

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to the brilliant JKR. I noticed after I read over this that the calling-Snape-Sev thing is reminiscent of something that happened in one of the idolization-worthy Airelle Vilka's fics...Read. Them. All.

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Author's Note: It starts out all right. Really, it does. A bit angsty, all in all an all right Snape fic. But then my inner fluff writer, whom I cannot control, took over. And so this is the most horrifying story that you could possibly encounter. (With the exception, perhaps, of H/H. Or maybe that's just me.) Believe me, it's creepy. But read it anyway. Who knows? Perhaps you'll get a good laugh.

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Setting and All That Jazz: This takes place a few days after the happenings of the Third Task in Goblet of Fire...Snape has been asked by Dumbledore to go back to Voldemort's side to gather information for the Order. Snape and Sinistra have been married for around 10 years in this. Yes, Snape is _married_. Scary thought, I know. And Sinistra's first name was taken from notes JKR displayed in London sometime - it was listed with the other professor names, but Sinistra was absent, so I'm guessing that Auriga was Sinistra's previous name. And so I just made it her first name. Clever, eh? ;-)

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Dedication: For the Snape Seduction Squad. :-)

And now that the frightening amount of Author's Notes, etc, is over, I'll just let you read the story. Brace yourself. It's gonna be brutal.

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Funny, how it hurt now.

Back when it had used to appear, sizzling ebony, he'd only felt a rush of anxious power, a thirst to prove himself, the knowledge that he was indeed evil and liked the idea. He'd never felt the pain.

Now he did.

A light grimace contorted Snape's features as he stared down at his left forearm. Above him, stars shot across the velvety midnight sky, reminiscent of tiny diamonds carelessly scattered across the universe. A light breeze, warm against his sin, whispered in the dreary silence.

Distractedly, Snape studied the telescopes that littered the balcony of the tower, pointed toward the starry sky. Vaguely he wondered which telescope Diggory had used during his Astronomy lessons.

No matter now.

Diggory was dead.

Diggory was dead, Voldemort had returned, and the mark was burning black.

"Sev?"

He did not turn at the sound of her voice, though he'd secretly been craving it all night.

"Auriga, you know that I detest that little...nickname," he responded tersely.

She laughed softly, the sound trickling off into the balmy summer night, and sat down beside him. The silence resumed.

He found himself wishing that she'd talk again, and not only because he'd grown rather fond of her voice. Yes, Auriga Sinistra had turned him into a lovesick twit long ago, but he had no time to think of love tonight.

"Does it hurt?" she inquired, and he could feel her eyes on his arm.

Did it hurt. Ha. The pain seared upon his flesh, scorching and sizzling, filled with a ruthless cruelty within himself that he'd foolishly thought he'd shed years ago.

Did it hurt.

"Like hell," he returned simply.

She paused, almost tentative. He practically yearned to look up at her, to drink in her auburn curls, her tired face, her wry half smile her gold-flecked amber eyes. She had become, over the years, a constant reassurance, a person that only he could truly understand. She was not beautiful - love did not blind him of that - but he had never appreciated conventional beauty, and he much preferred her tired serenity.

"Are you going to do it?" she asked, absently chewing at her bottom lip.

She was nervous.

"Of course," he said evenly. "Did you really expect me to refuse?"

"No," she said. "But..."

"But...?" he repeated lightly, taking her left hand in his right almost instinctively. It was not a pathetically emotional gesture of love - he wasn't one for pitifully sappy sentiments, and neither was she. He had known that her hands were cold, simple as that.

She squeezed his hand lightly.

"He'll see right through you, Severus," she said. "He'll kill you."

"Eventually," Snape responded calmly. "But not at once - I hold powerful information, information about Hogwarts, information about Dumbledore, that Voldemort would do anything for."

"So he'll torture you, and _then_ he'll kill you," Auriga said dryly. "Isn't _that_ a vast improvement."

"Please, Auriga," he said coldly. "My life is not a great sacrifice; I won't be missed by many. I've seen all I want to see of this world, and I'm not going to fight for something that won't be sorely miss."

"So modest." Her voice was teasing. "My humble husband."

"Auriga, contain yourself," he said curtly, though he didn't bother to stop a wry smile from playing at the corners of his mouth. "Your extreme displays of affection are downright embarrassing."

"You know you love it."

"I'm afraid I know no such thing, Auriga."

"Well, allow me to remind you, Professor."

"_Honestly,_ Auriga, one would think that after nine years you'd stop with your foolish flirtations."

Auriga, however, didn't seem to have the slightest intention of stopping, and had already slung her arms, quite coyly, over his shoulders. He rolled his eyes as her lips grazed his neck, leaving a tingling trail of kisses as her mouth moved upward.

"The last time I checked, Auriga, it was the responsibility of the students to sneak up to the Astronomy Tower to satisfy their raging hormones, not the professors."

"You're...insufferable...Sev," she informed him between kisses that now trailed along his jawline.

"Tell me, dear, would you like it if I called you Aur?" he inquired impatiently.

She smirked at him. "Severus Snape, you can call me whatever you want to."

He opened his mouth to inform her that she sounded like a raunchy prostitute in need of business, but was cut off when her lips met his own. Deciding that he'd made enough sarcastic comments for the night, he kissed her back, an electric fervency between them that they hadn't shared in quite sometime. Everything else lay blissfully forgotten, from the Triwizard Tournament to the ebony Dark Mark. He knew that there were more important things he should've been focusing on - the Dark Lord had risen, for Merlin's sake! - but at the moment he didn't care. Everything else could wait until the next day. Right now he was going to kiss his wife, and God be damned if He tried to stop him.

Who knew how many kisses they had left.

That one, however, abruptly ended - He opened his eyes to find that Auriga had pulled away from him and was currently faking a yawn.

"All right then. 'Night."

Her amber eyes were twinkling mischievously.

"Rabid hellcat," he scowled.

She raised an eyebrow. "_What_ was that?"

"Rabid hellcat," he repeated, loud and clear. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Auriga, but less than a minute ago I believe you uttered the words 'Severus Snape, you can call me whatever you want to.'"

"I lied," she informed him promptly.

"Insufferable wench," he shot at her.

"_Se-ev_," she sang out, warning in her tone.

"Uncouth harpy."

She rolled her eyes. "I suppose there's only one way to shut you up."

"I suppose so," he agreed, his black eyes dancing.

She pressed her lips to his, this kiss almost excruciatingly slow. He pulled her a bit closer, and she began to play with the silver fastenings of his cloak when-

"Severus, Auriga."

The two shot apart at once at the familiar voice, and Snape attempted to look as casual as humanely possible as Albus Dumbledore smiled at them.

"Good evening, Headmaster," he said calmly.

Dumbledore studied the sky, blue eyes twinkling. "Lovely night for romance, no?"

He was loving this.

Of course he was loving this.

How very like him.

"Lovely," Auriga replied faintly.

Dumbledore smiled again, distantly, before his expression became grave. "Severus, I feel compelled to ask you once more if you are truly willing to do this."

Snape nodded. "I am, Headmaster, I assure you."

"You do realize," Dumbledore continued, "That your doing this will put Auriga into danger as well?"

Snape nodded, though his heart gave a lurch at this. "Yes."

"Auriga?" the headmaster asked.

"I understand."

Dumbledore sighed. "I wish it weren't so, but when a love is deep as yours, Voldemort will go to any means to destroy it." He paused. "Remember that love can only be destroyed when you let it."

Snape nodded.

"All right, then, Severus, I'll see you in the morning," Dumbledore said briskly. "We have an Order to create."

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore turned to leave, but froze after a few steps. He faced them once more, this time sporting a rather mischievous smile.

"Severus, you do realize that the fastenings of your cloak have come undone?"

"I can't imagine how, Headmaster," Snape responded at once.

Dumbledore smiled - Snape thought he saw him wink as well.

"Good night, Professors."

Snape watched his retreating figure until the headmaster had completely disappeared, then glanced down at his forearm. The mark still burned black - who knew how long it would? - but the pain had dimmed.

"Now, now, Severus," Auriga said, clicking her tongue in mock disapproval. "_How_ did your cloak fastenings reach such a state?"

"It's a mystery," he responded, rolling down his left sleeve.

He would be tormented no more tonight.

END

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Author's Note II: A sack of Galleons to you if you made it this far.


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